god made plows

disappointingly, the real nemo is no where near as cute or friendly as the little disney fish. no. the nemo i just met came with school cancellations, travel bans, massive winds, and two feet of snow. this nemo was a beast.

despite growing up with nemo-like storms most winters, i'm still a california girl at heart. i get knots in my stomach EVERY time i get into the car when there is even the slightest hint of bad weather. (rain included.) but every once in a while, i do love a good snow storm. the kind that forces everyone to head home and hunker down. the kind that wipes out the bread and milk aisles in the grocery store. the kind that gives you nothing to do but build a fire, make some soup, and just watch in awe as the heavens dump. the kind that, when it passes, brings all of the neighbors, who you haven't seen since october, out in the dead of winter to shovel and snowblow. (thanks, nemo, for introducing me to two neighbors who had thus far been strangers.)

[building a channel through the banks.]

[yes, that snow is UP TO THE ROOF of the shed.]

[view from inside.]

[opening the gate to the backyard.]

my favorite part about this storm, though, was watching god's power in action. he dumped multiple feet of snow all across the region. he blew gusts of wind powerful enough to topple trees and power lines. and then, he cleared it...

during a break in the heavy snow, josh and i walked down to the beach to see what damage nemo had done there (since it is, afterall, nemo's home turf). we sunk to our knees in the parking lot snow, and awed quietly at the deep grey sky and the crashing waves in the distance. as we trudged closer, we marveled at how little snow had stuck on the beach. how could there be feet of snow at home and only the tiniest dusting less than a mile away? god's creation has a built-in plow system. moving water + salt = instant melting action. even with heavy snow at home--not to mention the parking lot--the massive flakes hardly touched the ocean's shore. his ocean and his wind kept his beach from being affected by the storm. what an incredible design.