A Southerner’s First Snow

No, it’s not the first time I’ve ever seen snow. It is the first time I’ve lived anywhere where it actually snows (more than flurries). The kind that sticks.

My first snow was in Birmingham, Alabama as a wee one. Alabama snow is by no means a usual occurrence, so to celebrate my mother bought me a blush pink snow suit with matching beanie. I made snow angels for hours.

My next encounter with real snow was in January of 2011, just before second semester started. Weather reports of a big snow storm coming to the South were rolling in sending people into a frenzy. Snow is so rare in the South, just a light dusting will cause mass excitement, freak-outs, and grocery store raids. Ryan checked the radar repeatedly, assuring me school would close due to the snow and that we should get out of town and go skiing in Boone. The thought of being snowed in on a street full of wild college boys outweighed my fear of missing my first few days of second semester, so we hit the road. Turns out my husband, the amateur weatherman, was right. UGA was shut down for a week because of the snow and we enjoyed a few days with some friends at Sugar Mountain.

The past few weeks have been pretty cold up here in Bloomington; we get a new layer or dusting of snow just about every night. Thanks to my down coat and snow boots, I’m handling the weather surprisingly well. I don’t know what it is about snow that makes people act like a kid but every time I walk outside I get a ridiculous grin kicking up the big piles of powder in our yard. It’s safe to say the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. Stay warm y’all.

Emily Laborde is a freelance writer and social media manager hooked on cruising backroads, photographing old houses, and loving all things local. For more check out her blog Em’s on the Road. You can also follow her onFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

“A Southerner’s First Snow” was originally published at http://emsontheroad.com