Blizzard of 2011- "ohsnowyoudidn't"

The Great Chicago Blizzard of 2011. The weathermen had been hyping it up. We were supposed to get 20 plus inches of snow. Daddy and I were quite used to this type of weather forecast. Denver and Boston both brought large dumps of snow each year. Boston had huge nor'easters during my time there. Denver had at least one snow fall larger that that all four years we were there. So, we didn't really think anything of this forecast when it was mentioned.

As the storm got closer, Grandmommy warned us not to be complacent and to really get prepared. She'd been following the news closely and felt we were in for more than we'd originally planned for. As usual, she was right. We spent the day before the big storm running errands and getting prepared for every situation possible. We got plenty of food, water, firewood, batteries, flashlights, diapers, etc. You name it, we probably picked it up. In general, Chicago is cold but only gets about 30-32 inches total snow fall the entire winter. It's not so bad when you put it in perspective.

February 1st arrived and the snow began. The news definitely hyped it up and we were glued to the TV. Daddy was in Wisconsin for work, leaving you, Grandmommy and me back in Chicago. No worries, we were prepared.

The snow started falling around 2pm on Tuesday and didn't stop until mid morning on Wednesday. We sat you by the glass paned back door. It was way too cold and windy to take you out.

 You were excited about the massive amounts of snow falling. Grandmommy and I? Not so much.

The blizzard was fierce to say the least. There were high winds, white out conditions and even thunder snow. We were terrified we'd lose power. We never did, but the lights did flicker 2-3 times. We went to bed that night knowing that at least 30k residents had lost power. We left candles and matches beside our beds just in case. The interstate between Chicago and Wisconsin closed, leaving Daddy there until at least Thursday. I'm so glad Grandmommy was around!

When we woke up the next morning, the weatherman said we'd gotten a total of 22ish inches of snow. Here I am with a boot in the snow. I had on my hot pink goulashes. You can't even see them!

Grandmommy experienced several firsts during this storm. She'd never seen a blizzard and she'd never seen thunder snow. She was documenting the event for her friends to see.

Everything was covered in snow.  I'll admit, it was pretty! You weren't really sure what to think about it. Daisy loved it!

We dug out a small spot for you to stand in. We didn't dig all the way to the ground. I'm sure you would have been buried.

Daisy has always loved the snow. She can entertain herself for hours digging.