Polar Vortex, Snowpocalypse, or Never Ending Winter. Take your pick.

So I believe Thanksgiving was the last update. That feels like ages ago! December was a great month. After finals for Wes and officially graduating from training at work for me, we got to go home! It was a glorious two and a half weeks in Utah. Our flights are never void of adventure and frustration. The flight out of South Bend was late because they couldn't find a crew...how does that even happen? But they showed up miraculously and we thought we just might make our connection in Chicago to Denver. Running through O'Hare happened just to get to the gate to find the doors closed and a less than pleasant woman tell us that the doors are locked and we can't go on. The plane was still there! It wasn't supposed to take off for another 10 minutes! And what's even more maddening is that it still sat there for another 20 minutes on the tarmac. This took us to the customer service desk to reschedule our flight. After waiting in line forever, we got to the desk and we got put on standby for a direct flight to Salt Lake that would leave in about an hour. If not we were booked for like a 5:00 pm flight that day. It was 7:00 am. As we sat at the gate for our standby flight, we felt like awful people because we were hoping and praying for other people to be late and miss this flight. Airports turn you into crazy people. It was Dec. 21 and we just really wanted to get home for Christmas. Thankfully there were plenty of spots on the flight and we ended up getting to Salt Lake earlier than if we had made our original flight. We heart flying...

The vacation was a blur of seeing family and friends, the usual Christmas activities, seeing movies, and I don't even remember what else. All I know is that it was heaven.

And then it was over. We flew home January 7th. We made it to Chicago once again but the short flight to South Bend was cancelled. We knew ahead of time thankfully so we had already made a plan to take the bus home. We came back to subzero temperatures. I think the actual temp was -13 degrees but with wind chill it was like -28. Crazy cold!! South Bend was basically in lock down the day before. You would be fined like two grand for driving on the roads. We missed the worst of the polar vortex, but still had to suffer through the bitter cold and un-bury our car from the two feet of snow on top of it. Somehow it started and we ran to the grocery store. The next few days were hard. Facing the cold and all that and I had to go back to work the next day. But more than that I just didn't want to be in South Bend.

So long, Utah.

I feel like this picture doesn't do it justice, but there seriously was two feet of snow on the mustang!

 School started the next week for Wes and we settled back into our routine. I don't think we had a single day above freezing the rest of the month. And it wasn't just the cold. It kept snowing somehow! Everything was completed buried in snow. February really wasn't much different either. It was unrelenting. Now, I'm used to the snow and cold and everything, but this was worse than I've ever experienced in my life. What made it even harder is we never saw the sun! It was just cloudy and dark. every. single. day. Oh, and Indiana doesn't know how to plow the roads. And now that the roads are finally clear the pot holes left behind are unbelievable! I've memorized my path to work to know how to avoid all of the worst ones.

Anyway, like I said despite the brutal winter, we got back into the swing of things. Wes is a rock star and is doing great in school, as usual. I had to adjust being back at work. Everything about it was different. I was done with training and had moved on to my official cubical and was taking phone calls all day. New supervisor and new coworkers - all of us new hires got put on several different teams. Now that it's March, I'm finally feeling comfortable in my role and I don't feel like I'm stupid anymore on the phone and answering customers questions about their insurance policies. I miss my friends that I made in training. I don't sit by any of them, and we're lucky if we can see each other and chat briefly on breaks or lunch. Oh, and my schedule. I hate it. Working 2-10 pm is really hard for me. I'm a morning person. I like to be productive in the morning and get the things that I have to do out of the way. My productivity goes way down when I don't go to bed until after midnight and sleep in. And then don't feel the need to do a whole lot since the only thing I Have to do is go to work. It's no good. Not to mention that Wes has school during the day. So we pretty much have opposite schedules. Sometimes it feels like we hardly see each other. But we're pushing through it.

This is my I don't want to go to work but I have to selfie.

What makes this all easier is knowing that we are once again coming home for the summer. Wes has an internship with a firm in Salt Lake that we're really excited about. I was thinking about staying in South Bend for the summer to keep my job so I wouldn't have to go through the job hunt again. But after a lot of thinking and praying and tears and vacillating and making myself sick over the decision, we decided it's best that I quit and come home, too. It would be too hard to be apart and just not worth it. And so we're coming home! It'll be just before Memorial Day. I will keep working hard at my job now to try and get rehired in the fall. And if not, I'll find another job. I'm not going to stress about that until I have to.

Now the only problem we have is that it is March 13th and there is still snow on the ground and 30 degrees. Where is spring?? Wes is dying to go golfing again. And to be honest so am I. I even bought two new golf shirts in anticipation! I'm just anxious to see the sun again. And it has shown its wonderful face a few times the last two weeks. Then it goes away and hides again. This winter has been declared the never ending winter. Or my personal favorite: the Snowpocalypse. Whatever you call it, I hope that it goes away quick. It's been hard on my car, my boots - two different pairs completely thrashed from all of the wet snow and salt - my skin, my hair, my mood, and my mind. As soon as it reaches 60 I can guarantee you'll see us with the top down on the mustang and cranking the music up loud as if it were 85 and the Fourth of July.

Enough griping about the weather though. It definitely makes you grateful for the good weather. On a more pleasant note, we went out for Valentine's Day to Buffalo Wild Wings (romantic, I know, but it's one of our favorites). It was free thanks to some gift cards we had given to us at Christmas. And then we bought 20 bucks worth of chocolate at the South Bend Chocolate Factory. I'd be lying if I said it lasted more than two days at our house... Oops :) We've got a sweet tooth. And so the single serve, microwavable mug desserts are the best and worst thing that we have discovered. haha. But really? What's better after a long day at work than a warm mug filled with chocolatey goodness that's ready in two minutes? That's right. Nothing.

This week has been Wes' spring break. I decided to be responsible and work all week and he's been bored out of his mind. I guess there's only so much studying and video games a guy can play. Hence the need for the snow to disappear so he can start golfing again. :) I know I end most of my posts this way, but it's always true: I love Wes! I love being married to him. He is my source of strength and my everyday happiness. Despite the hard stuff and the bad weather, we are so happy. Just like these cuddle bears :)

I painted this super cute Easter decoration thanks to my Christmas present from Wes and Shannon sending me the project! Another reason we need spring so I can put this out :)