The Never-Ending Winter—Reasons Why it’s Time for Spring

Maybe you can relate, maybe it’s a completely foreign idea to some of you (if it is, consider yourself lucky). But, after three months of having snow on the ground, I am OVER IT. I am a snow lover, I am a skier and I am a little kid when it comes to sledding. BUT, when March hits, it is time that I start seeing grass again.

Never in my life have I felt so strongly towards the beautiful, white, fluffy stuff falling from the sky. Never in my life did I think I would hate it when it begins to snow…again. Snow, it’s time to go and here’s why:

I am tired of layering every. single. outfit.

All my cute shirts are useless. I have to wear so many layers that no one can ever see the cute shirt I’m wearing. My down parka has paid for itself already and thank goodness it was a Christmas gift because I’m positive that I would have turned into a popsicle at some point this winter. Sometimes I just want to walk out the front door with my Birkenstocks on and a t-shirt but I would clearly be one of the many people not appropriately dressed for the weather. So, needless to say it will be miraculous when the day comes where I don’t have to dress like the Michelin Man to stay warm.

People forget how to park their cars when it snows.

Every time I have class I spend 20-25 minutes trying to find a parking spot. For some reason, when there is snow on the ground the majority of individuals like to leave a large amount of space between each car. Not enough to park a car, but just enough to make you think there is an open spot. Just because there is snow on the ground it’s not okay to park your car in the middle of the road or make your own parking spot.

My arm is tired of scraping ice and snow off the car EVERY morning.

Setting my alarm ten minutes early every morning is not luxurious, especially when it’s because I need the time to go out in the cold and scrap my windshield. It is more than annoying to start every morning freezing cold and waiting for my car to thaw. Not to mention, I’ll need new windshield wipers because they have been frozen far too many times this winter.

My house is freezing.

After three months of snow we are tired of paying sky high utility bills. We have limited our heating and we are beyond tired of sitting under blankets and being bundled up inside as we try to do homework, cook dinner and do laundry. My hands are always cold! My slippers are becoming worn out and I simply don’t own enough sweatpants for every single day. And wearing a parka while under a blanket is not exactly ideal.

You can’t play softball in the snow.

It’s March, softball and baseball season are upon us. Spring training has begun in Peoria, yet here we are in Ellensburg, Washington still in a snow globe. Still waking up to below freezing temperatures and a dusting of snow on our cars. We are moving games to new locations because our field is covered in a THICK blanket of snow and ice. We are practicing indoors, taking ground balls off a hard, rubber surface. Our outfielders haven’t seen a fly ball in months and we are immune to lights in our eyes rather than sun beating down.

I’m running out of chap stick and lotion. 

The frigid temperatures have my skin crying for help and hydration. I am sick of the constant chapped lips and cracked skin. I have purchased more chap stick in the last three months than I have in the last three years. I have been carrying lotion nearly every place I go and feeling self-conscious about my visibly dry hands.

I could really use a tan. 

Just like most of us (especially college age girls) I love to have tan skin and a little natural color. Being tan gives you that extra boost of confidence and gives you an extra glow. But snow does not promote tanning and it makes the artificial tanning bed so much more tempting. Bring back the sunshine!

So, Dear Mother Nature,

As much as I love snow and love having four seasons each year, I would greatly appreciate the sunshine and warm temperatures. I would LOVE to see grass when I wake up in the morning and I would be forever grateful. I promise to not complain about the weather you bring, as long as it’s not snow. I’ll even take an extra windy spring. But PLEASE, leave the snow in February!

Sincerely,

A Former Snow Lover

 

 

 

Las Vegas to Ellensburg, 25 hours?

Last Thursday morning my alarm was set for 4:05am. I hopped out of bed tired, but excited for the weekend that was ahead. Las Vegas was the beginning of the season, and this year, it was the beginning of the final ride of my softball career. Not to mention, we were leaving the subzero temperatures of Ellensburg for 70-degree weather!

Now, Vegas went well and it was a dream come true to wear a t-shirt outside without a parka and beanie on. However, the trip back to Ellensburg was an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE. Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

We left the ball field at 4:30pm and headed straight to the airport (no, we did not get to shower). As we parked the rental car we found out our flight was two hours delayed. We then found out that we weren’t able to check our much larger than carry-on sized duffel bags. Here we go…dragging huge duffel bags through the airport. This in itself is never a good way to start the trip home, but looking back at the trip, the two-hour delay was the least of our worries.

Okay, now pretend you’re boarding the plane in Las Vegas with us and for the next few minutes imagine yourself in this situation (and don’t forget, we still have not showered after the game).

After spending hours (four to be exact) in the airport, at 9:30pm we are finally in the air and headed back to Seattle. Around 11pm we are told we were descending into Seattle and will be arriving shortly and the bus is already waiting for us at the airport. As we began to get closer to the runway it became apparent that it was snowing extremely hard in Seattle, the turbulence was terrifying and we became uneasy about the events that we transpiring. As we were about to touch the ground, we sped back up and began going upwards again. After a long ten minutes the pilot notified us of what was going on. We were headed to Portland for an emergency landing. Needless to say, a slight panic attack was taking place for everyone on the flight. Our bus was waiting at SeaTac, not PDX and we were supposed to be back in Ellensburg for class on Monday, it’s already Monday.

After waiting for two hours in Portland, we were in the air on the way back to Seattle. After another bumpy trip, we landed in Seattle at 2am. We headed to baggage claim and after waiting for over an hour, we finally had our bags and were headed to the bus. By the time we were loaded on the bus and driving away with chains on, it was 3:15am. Ellensburg bound, we thought.

As we continued to drive and the snow continued to fall, we checked the pass, CLOSED. It’s 3:30am and the pass is closed, we aren’t going home after all. To Bellevue we go, where we find a hotel and crawl into bed at 4:30am…the sun was beginning to rise. I think I speak for everyone when I say, the frustration was so immense that I could have cried. Exhausted, stressed and frustrated.

Waiting for our hotel rooms in Bellevue.

After a whopping three hours of sleep we wake up for breakfast and begin to plan our trek back home. It’s Monday morning (still) and pass is still closed and the snow is STILL coming down. We are missing class, we are missing practice and we are missing weights. And… all other routes to Ellensburg also include compact snow and ice, chains required and hours of added travel time.

We loaded up the bus (again) at noon and headed toward the pass to wait out the closure. As we waited for the pass to open we shopped, talk about retail therapy. At this point in the trip, we were looking for all the positives possible. A new pair of Nike’s was a temporary mood booster.

FINALLY, around 2pm the pass opened, we chained up again and headed for the summit through the blizzard. In the hundreds of trips I’ve had across the pass I don’t think I have ever seen so much snow. It was as if we were driving through a tunnel of snow because the massive amount of snow piled on the sides of the road.

After three long, stressful hours  of driving and stopping and driving and stopping we took exit 106, Ellensburg. We were home and we were safe. After 25 hours, we were home.

And guess what? In less than 24 hours, we will be on our way back to SeaTac, headed back to Las Vegas airport and getting on ANOTHER bus to Utah. Talk about a crazy week.