Winter in Houston

Ok, so I know what you are all thinking. There really isn't a winter in Houston. Right? That is exactly what I thought!!! I would have stood by that as well, even after a weekend of ice skating on the OUTDOORS rink downtown. It has been in the 70 degree range since it cooled down in Septmember. But yesterday, to my utter amazement, IT WAS FREEZING!!! Literally, it was freezing. I went out in a hurry to get into my car to meet an appointment, hair still wet pulled up into a bun, light jacket, and of course my flip flops. I thought I had stepped out out into Utah! As I drove passed the sign that has the time and temperature I couldn't believe my eyes! 34 degrees!!! What!! It was 79 degrees the day before!!! After meeting my appointment for lunch I then rushed home to change into something warmer before I went to work. On my way to work it was raining slightly, or was it? Were those little snowflakes? Couldn't be. And then it happened. I got to work and the flurries of BIG snowflakes started! I could not believe it! All of the kids at gymnastics were going crazy! Trying to run outside, in leotards and nothing else!! They were hilarious! I don't think that most of them had seen snow like that! It was very exciting, not only for them, but for me as well. It snowed like that the whole time I was at work, I was even excited to have my car in a small blanket of snow when I got off. Then last night Chris and I bundled up and went to the Sam Houston Park to walk around in the big fluffy snowflakes that were still falling. It was very beautiful to be standing in the middle of the deserted park, the silence of the snow falling around us and the trees. Looking at the steam coming off of the small duck lake by the zoo. Very peaceful. And to see it falling on all of the high rises in the distance was also very cool. I even got to throw some snowballs at Chris! Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me because I left mine at my in laws over Thanksgiving, but I got a couple of pictures from my friend Nicole that we went ice skating with the other day. The snow was short lived, almost like a dream. I woke up this morning to sun shining through my window----and it is 70 degrees again today. Crazy. But the snow thought lingers like an early Christmas Present! Merry Christmas to me!!!

Not a great picture, but you get the idea----It is snowing.

My friend Nicole and I standing in line getting ready to ice skate outdoors in Houston.Chris is much faster than me. It took me awhile to get my ice skates on.

You can't see it in this picture, but we thought it was hilarious that we were ice skating past a standing marsh every lap. Funny.

Since my back surgery I have lost a lot of my balancing capabilities, so Chris is trying to re teach me how to ice skate. I was just worried the whole time I was going to fall and hurt my back or fall and hurt my shoulder. Either way it would have been bad. Luckily, I kept balance enough not to do either!!!