Home, Sweet Snow...

I made it home from St. Louis in advance of the snowstorm, but not without needing a little help.  My original flight was due to get into BWI last night at 10:15 p.m.  My boss very kindly excused me from the activities on Wednesday in order to catch an earlier flight out, so I changed my flight and got on one that left St. Louis at 8 a.m.  I arrived home at noon, in time to pick up my daughter from school (half-day on Weds.).  At around noon, I received a text from Southwest Airlines telling me that my original flight was cancelled.  How about that?

My daughter and I needed to get a few groceries (yes, like three million other people just before a snowstorm, though in my defense, I was out of town), so we went out at 6 to Wegman's with the idea that we would get dinner there.  When we arrived, there was a traffic jam getting into the parking lot.  We decided to wait, and get dinner first, so we went to Pub Dog for pizza instead.  On the drive over, on Dobbin Road, it started to snow.

We love Pub Dog.  The pizza is fairly unique, with a nice thin crust, and served in 10" sizes and lots of variety in the toppings.  During the warm months, it's always neat to see families joined by their dogs in the outside seating area.  The first time we ate here, I was a little disappointed by the size of the pizza.  It didn't quite fill me up (though I was pretty hungry that afternoon).  However, that led me to discover the delicious uniqueness of the "smash dog" pizzas, which are two of any pizzas put together, like a sandwich.  They are great!

Last night, Melody got her regular Cheese Dog pizza, which is just mozzarella and tomato sauce.  I got a Veggie Dog pizza, with mushrooms, red peppers, red onions, spinach, and garlic, smashed with a Pupperoni pizza, with, of course, pepperoni.  The combination was fantastic, with a nice spicy taste along with the combination of the veggies.  It more than filled me up.  Another unique thing they do at Pub Dog is bring each person two glasses of whatever they are drinking.  Melody got two glasses of water, and I got two iced teas.  The service is wonderful.  The servers check on us frequently.  Great stuff!

We headed out to a blizzard.  The snow was coming down fast, and there was already almost an inch of snow on our Jeep.  We drove back over to Wegman's, and again we were disappointed with the number of cars in the parking lot.  I guess everyone waited until the last minute to get what they wanted, or needed.  We decided not to fight the crowd, so we drove over to Harris-Teeter in Maple Lawn, which is almost never crowded.  Tonight, though, it was.  There were more cars in the parking lot than I'd ever seen.  We only needed a few items, so we braved it and went in.  Milk was on our list, and the milk cooler was wiped out.  Fortunately, I found a gallon hidden away on the very bottom of the refrigerator.  We were able to get the rest of what we needed, then joined the ridiculously long line.  Then we went home and settled in.  Schools were cancelled, and then the Government shut down.  Snow Day!

This morning, we awoke to a Winter Wonderland.  We had about a foot of snow.  I was really worried about my colleagues in St. Louis who would be flying home on Friday.  I hoped the airline wouldn't cancel their flights.  I was already feeling guilty about flying home early and missing the majority of the meetings in St. Louis.

I got dressed and prepared to go out and dig us out.  To my surprise, my neighbors had already shoveled the sidewalk out front, including the walkway to our front porch, so I didn't have to shovel at all.  I'm so appreciative of their kindness.  I'm sure the three brothers next door were the ones who did it.  I'll make sure to reward them.

It started snowing again later this afternoon.  At the rate it's falling, we'll have at least 15 to 18 inches.  I love snow, and this storm was a doozy.  I'm glad to see it, but I also pray for the safety of so many that are affected by it.  It sure is a beautiful site.

Have a great evening, everyone.  Stay safe!