Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Sleigh Bells Ring....Are ya listening?
In the Lane...Snow is Glistening.
A Beautiful Sight! We're Happy Tonight....

Driving 3 hours through the winter wonderland, risking life and

limb in order to get to a city with a mall!

Yes! This is Superman and I at the beginning of our road trip to the bright lights and big city in order to load up on presents for the kiddies because it is now only 7 days to Christmas and we haven't bought a single present! We panicked! Come hell or blowing blizzard we were going to finish (or start and then finish) our Christmas shopping.

45 Minutes into the trip. Pretty, huh?
1 hour to go! Isn't this beautiful! I'm still fairly calm at this point. The snow is lovely! Everything is clean and white and covered with pillows of big fluffy snow! Gorgeous!

I don't know if you can see the road but it's a good thing we had trees on either side or we wouldn't have known if we were on the road or not. Still beautiful! We are toasty warm, we are laughing and talking and listening to the radio. I try not to let on that my palms are starting to sweat, I'm having heart palpitations and it's getting harder and harder to laugh at Superman's silly banter. JUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD, HONEY!

A few minutes later. The vague black shape in front of us is the tanker truck that we were following down the mountain. At this point, Superman is telling me to just keep taking pictures. He says it's keeping me calm and he doesn't want me to start freaking out. I think it's really because he wants to be sure that the last moments of our lives are documented for our loved ones. I know he is thinking about a park ranger finding us frozen solid in our car off the side of the road after spring thaw. I'm seeing images of our frozen bodies lovingly holding on to each other in our last moments, our frozen fingers intertwined for eternity. Morbid, I know but at this point I'm thinking it's a real possibility. And then...

We are down. We stop at the nearest gas station for hot bevs, the satellite is playing Christmas jingles, people are bustling in and out on their way to wherever it is they go and the sheer terror of five minutes ago is completely forgotten. We spend the rest of our day shopping non-stop, eating at the food court and trying to forget that on the way home we get to do this drive again, only this time it will be dark!

All I can say is...our kids are spoiled! They better go into complete and utter ecstasy at the opening of every gift and I better hear the words "That was the best Christmas ever! I got everything I've ever wanted and more! Thank you, parental units! Thank you! We love you more than the world!"