snowed in

by now, most of you know the deal or are living the deal. thirty inches of snow over the weekend and an additional 12+ is falling as we speak. it's the snowmaggedon. the snowpocalypse. the snowtorious b.i.g. and it makes you say "snoMG!" (love that one). whatever you call it, i haven't seen snow like this...ever. but unlike a lot of people who are getting stir crazy and longing to break free, i couldn't be more content to be at home. i'm loving the fact that everyone has been forced to slow down. that i was able to get over my cough and sniffles, because i finally got some rest. and that i've been able to tackle more of the things on my long list of to-do's.

during the first winter after Jarronn and I met, somewhere around early 2005, new jersey was gearing up for a major blizzard. (looking back, it was absolutely nothing compared to what's going on right now). so Jarronn made the suggestion that we get snowed in together. this concept of purposefully getting stuck somewhere other than at home had never occurred to me. but hanging out with him was always a good time, so i figured i could manage a 36-hour hang out session.

i made my way over to his apartment, and the snow was already coming down. not long after i arrived, Jarronn insisted that we go buy a sled. so we hopped in his car and slid our way up route 1 to the wal-mart. i laughed hysterically as Jarronn tried to pick out the perfect sled -- one that could fulfill his need for speed and somewhat looked like it wasn't just made for children under the age of 10. he pulled one off the shelf, placed it on the center of the aisle, and sat inside to make sure he had a match. the pickings were slim, so it would have to do.

we got back in the car, and he wanted to do fishtails in the parking lot. i told him he was crazy in my voice that has an underlying note of: "and i wish you'd stop." :-) he rolled over a curb on his way out the parking lot, and it seemed to straighten him out. once again, i laughed at the face he made. the one where he knew he might have taken something too far and needed to pull himself together.

we played hours of spongebob uno that night, which led to some heated debates. i lost our series of best out of five that night, and losing always came with a price. i owed Jarronn dinner. after watching t.v., i fell asleep on the sofa, and Jarronn probably conked out in the middle of his area rug, which he so often did. he seemed to have no coffee table, just for this very purpose.

in the morning, the snow had stopped, and it was playtime. Jarronn went on a search for a hill. but not before putting a pot roast in the oven (who would have guessed?). he had apparently had it in the freezer for some time and had been wanting to cook it.

once outside, Jarronn's first find was a 25 foot mound of plowed snow, which was somehow climbable, but had a ridiculous slope. he decided against using that as his playground -- at least for that moment. we found a much more suitable hill in the back of his apartment complex. there were a couple of young boys already there, sledding and having a great time.

it took no time for the boys to become Jarronn's snow partners. they took turns going down the hill. had a snowball fight, which they roped me into. and i'll never forget watching Jarronn push one of the little boy's faces down into the snow. i was shocked and thought for certain that the boy would bust into tears. but instead, he lifted up his face -- which had snowed stuck to his eyebrows, nose, and cheeks -- and just burst into laughter. i clearly saw the difference between girls and boys that day.

on our way back to the indoors, Jarronn passed that 25 foot mound again. this time, he thought, "why not?" never mind that the mound's slope was about 55 degrees and flat-lined sharply when it met the black pavement. all i'll say is that it wasn't pretty.

i was exhausted from the snow play and thought i was going to pass out. literally. it took everything in me to climb the flight of stairs up to Jarronn's apartment, as i envisioned how embarrassed i'd be when i came to and realized he had to call an ambulance for me. thankfully, i made it to the big area rug, collapsed, and was able to regain my strength without blacking out. years later, he found that story quite amusing -- mostly because he was so oblivious to the whole thing.

the pot roast was delicious. of course. and the company was even better. i almost didn't want the snow to stop or for my car to be accessible. i could really get used to this concept of getting snowed in...

photos of Jarronn in the snow...