winter

Hello and happy Monday. I disappeared for a week, spending some much needed time decompressing and reflecting on life things. I am happy to be back to some writing time and it was a laid back weekend with the impending snow storm. The snow wasn’t as bad as they were originally calling for but I would definitely say we got at least a foot and it was heavy due to sleet being mixed in. The snow also started later on Saturday than anticipated, so the roads were clear most of the day.

Let’s quickly back up to Friday. Friday afternoon was very chit chatty at work as we headed into the weekend. I got home and the first thing on my mind was my stats quiz. Brian cooked up dinner while I took my quiz. I knew I had two attempts and it was open book, but being the first quiz, you never know what to expect. After quickly going through the quiz and solving for some answers, I submitted and got like a 70%…eek. Luckily I knew I had a second attempt. I could see which questions I got correct and reviewed explanations on the ones I got wrong. We are not shown the correct answers, but with the explanations, you can learn from those and figure out what should have been the correct answer. Dinner was ready once I finished attempt 1 so I ate and then reviewed. The second attempt, you have to watch for some questions that are re worded or may ask the opposite of the original question, but it went much smoother and I only got 1 wrong and got an A for the second attempt. With an A and that quiz off my back, I was able to relax. I have been watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch on Hulu as my current show.

Saturday morning I had my alarm set for 7am because I wanted to get to Wegmans early. I made bacon and some toast for breakfast before heading out. There were few people on the roads at 7:30am, but Wegmans was a bit busier than usual for the 8am hour. In addition, they had been cleaned out completely of potatoes and onions and even the meat section looked low. Luckily Brian had bought meat the other day and plenty. I basically shopped for my usual items for the week and found everything I needed just fine. Then I got to check out and people had carts filled so high with food. These people will now not need to shop for at least 2 weeks right?

The snow was originally supposed to start around noon or so. Noon rolled around and it was still semi sunny outside. I spent the morning doing some yoga and then some cooking.

I have been craving mac and cheese lately, but since I can’t do much dairy, I needed to make some vegan mac and cheese. I made a cauliflower “cheese” sauce from a recipe and used chickpea noodles that are more filling and it hit the spot. It was amazing!!

After eating it was time to do some reading homework. The snow finally started sometime around 2-3pm and did start fast, but was nothing crazy. Brian made some steak fajitas for dinner which we enjoyed with some Good Thin corn crackers, avocado and salsa. It was a really good meal.

We also watched the first episode of Tidying Up on Netflix that I have heard so much about. I think it’s a good show for couples to watch to learn things from other families. Brian and I don’t like a lot of “stuff” as it is, but we both have accumulated stuff that we need to sort through. It was fun to watch an episode together and reflect on stuff for now and also thinking of the future and how to keep things tidy.

I watched as the snow was falling outside. I love our living room window and seeing the snow lightly fall by looking at the street light. There were a couple inches maybe before we headed to bed with most of the snow expected overnight.

Saturday night was rough sleeping because they were on top of the plowing (which I am not complaining about). I live on a dead end street and the beep, beep, beep of the plow constantly backing up to plow the snow into one pile kept waking me up. After they plowed around 5am, I was rolling for a while and decided to get up at 6:30 Sunday morning. I made some oatmeal for breakfast and made some blender muffins to pop into the oven. Shortly after eating, I put on my sweatpants and coat and got to shoveling.

The snow was quite heavy due to the sleet/ice on top and mixed in. I did the bulk of the driveway and cleaned off my car in half an hour. By that time, Brian was finally up and I left the heavy plow stuff for him to do. I was so sweaty from shoveling I needed a shower ASAP. I wasn’t sure if I would want to go to the gym after the workout of shoveling, but after a shower and another snack, I felt refreshed and we decided to venture to the gym. There were few cars on the roads and the roads were partially plowed. I made Brain drive, but my new winter tires seem to be working like a charm, which I am very pleased about.

We were the only two crazy people to arrive to the gym shortly after 9am. I love having the gym all to myself though. I was able to work on deadlifts and break a new PR for myself of 165lbs.

Once we got back from the gym, I had some lunch and got to work on my school projects while Brain did some more shoveling. Luckily the snow stopped before noon and the sun even came out. I love seeing the sun reflect off the white snow.

Were you snowed in this weekend?

I can’t believe this is my 100th MIMM post! Thanks Katie for the link up.

It’s also officially less than a week until Christmas. Wow!! It has been cold but at least we will have a white Christmas this year which is perfect before I head off to Australia for summer.

So this post is a recap of my road trip so far as I am on my way to Chicago. Last Tuesday we finished packing up the apartment and officially moved out. Thursday I began my multi city journey home (to Chicago).

Thursday Dec 15

I’m taking my time getting to Chicago and finally had the chance to stop by Pittsburgh. I left Binghamton, NY around 7:30am for a long day of driving. What is mapped to be a 5.5 hour trip took me 7 hours. Though with stops, I did figure 6.5 hours would be about right. I left early to avoid the snow that was coming and also hoping I wasn’t driving into it. I think I ended up going far enough south that I didn’t hit too much.

Driving down 81 south was pretty much a breeze compared to the rest of the trip. It was pretty clear skies, roads were plowed, just some wind blown snow and the sun was even out for most of the drive. I was happy.

Then I turned west and was greeted by many signs warning of changing weather and possible white out conditions. Though I was reading the signs and looking at blue skies, it wasn’t long before I hit a bit of a white out heading west. Luckily it was quite short and I was able to breathe again as the snow cleared. Really it was hardly snowing. If anything, there were flurries, but the 20+ mph winds were blowing snow onto the roads again. I then hit a spot so clear, even the brown grass was showing. It became so sunny and my guess is either that area didn’t get much snow or the sun melted it away in combination with the wind carrying it away. I took advantage and drove 70+ mph when I could. When I was sure the roads were fairly dry and I was safe.

I did take multiple stops along the way, twice for bathroom stops and my one stop at a Panera was about 5 miles from the highway and added quite a bit of time to stop and get back on in the snowy conditions. I also got gas twice. In normal conditions, I could have made it on my one tank but as I was on US 22 and trying to go uphill with a quarter tank, my car was not sounding smooth and I decided to fill up. Afterwards, uphills went better. I know uphills drain the gas more too so I was glad I stopped. Luckily there were plenty of downhills to compensate, though I was not so much a fan of the hills.

About 7 hours of driving, since I arrived at 2:30 into Shadyside Pittsburgh and met Erin (The Almond Eater) at a cute coffee place. Though at one point I was hungry, I forgot as I sat down and Erin and I talked for an hour. Then she had to go and I checked into my AirBnB around the corner.

I was happy I decided on a cute mansion stay. Just over $100 with all the fees, still cheaper than many hotels in the Pittsburgh area and I get a beautifully decorated room that makes you feel way more at home than any hotel. The plus to it being Christmas season was having a little tree in my room and seeing the décor around the house as well.

I checked in and brought my bags up then headed back out to grab an early dinner. I checked out Shady Grove per Erin’s suggestion and got a wrap with fries. The fries were quite fried and I wasn’t a huge fan so I only ate some. Somehow I wasn’t starving despite skipping lunch, but when you are sitting and driving, you don’t burn too many calories, though I do feel as though I burn more due to anxiety.

After eating, I knew there were a couple bakeries on the street and decided to check one out and get a fudge cupcake. I brought it back with me and went inside for the evening to stay warm. My legs needed another layer as it was like 10 degrees, feels like -2 outside.

After inhaling my cupcake, I remembered I was behind on my yoga challenge and took a few photos around the room. Then I curled up and got warm, watching Fuller House on Netflix and then spending some time writing.

I love quiet evenings especially with it being so cold, but I was glad it wasn’t snowing in Pittsburgh. I would have walked around more, but the weather made it difficult and I knew I would walk around in the morning. At least I got 6,000 steps when I drove for most of the day.

Friday Dec 16

Friday morning I was awake by 7am. I enjoyed staying in bed for a while and then had a granola bar and got ready for the day. I stopped to get some tea which was super hot. Meanwhile it was super cold outside. Can’t win. I burned my tongue on the hot tea as usual. Then I took my tea for a walk to cool off and drank it before the barre class.

I had a good workout at The Barre Code and then walked back to my Airbnb. I packed up and headed to a breakfast place, Deluca’s in the strip district. I thought I would walk around a bit but it was cold and I don’t need to buy anything. So I ate at the counter at the diner, getting some pancakes and sausage. Then it was off to Ohio.

The 2 hour drive was fast and the roads were dry for most of the way. I arrived at 2:30 just as my aunt was picking up my cousin from school. I worked on a little project for her and then watched Netflix for a bit until I was picked up around 6 for dinner.

Since I haven’t had many big meals lately, I went all out. Salad, bread, bruschetta, chicken and even some chocolate cake for dessert. Wow it was the BIGGEST slice of chocolate cake I have ever seen!! We split it 3 ways and still brought some home.

By the time we got home, it was nearly 8. I took a shower and then relaxed on the couch watching tv and headed to bed around 10.

Saturday Dec 17

Based on the weather everywhere on Saturday, I would have been driving into the snow/ice/winter mix and that didn’t sound fun for a 6 hour plus drive. So I opted to stay another day at my aunt’s. Sunday was a better day for me to go to my friend’s anyway.

I brought my oatmeal and fixings for breakfast. I always come with breakfast. Then I taught some basic yoga moves to my aunt and challenged my cousin to a 60 second plank and he didn’t last.

Most of the day was spent hanging out at my aunt’s while she worked. I finished Fuller House, read and cuddled with the cats and did some yoga.

Sunday I made it to my friend’s house in Michigan around 3:30 and the drive overall was not that bad. I did hit some snow towards the end and passed my friend’s street because it wasn’t plowed so I didn’t recognize it as a street. Luckily I have my snow tires and they work so much better for this weather.

One more day in Michigan and then Chicago tomorrow.

Any snow by you?

Do you like road trips?

The First Snowstorm of 2019 Weekend

To Pittsburgh and Beyond MIMM#100