Record Snowfall in DC

I just read about the snow storm in DC and it brought up a memory that I am going to share. Ready?

1996

That's a long time ago. I was pregnant with Lindsey and Daniel was interviewing at USUHS and Georgetown medical schools. I flew out to meet him and check out the area (and although obviously with hindsight--I remember thinking then that that's where we would go to school. That's my Grandma Groberg in me).

Anyway, back to the story.

There was a huge storm in DC. It shut down almost everything (including Daniel's interview at Georgetown). Stores were practically empty because people were preparing to be holed up for weeks apparently. Somehow my flight still landed. I proceeded to get myself from the airport, through the metro system to the right station in a city I'd never been in. I was 21. That's no small cookie. And it was night time. Then. My sweet husband gave me directions to walk to the hotel from the metro (I don't remember how faw away it was, but I think it took me 30 minutes with the snow). We didn't have cell phones (were they invented yet?) I had a suitcase that had rollers and did I mention I was pregnant? The side walks were impassable because that's where the snow plows had put the snow so I had to walk in the street. And climb over lots of snow mounds. With my "rolling" suitcase. And it was freezing. FREEZING! What confidence Daniel had in me. And I didn't let him down. I found it without much problem and was so grateful that his confidence worked (because I lacked it a bit). And I was so grateful to be with him again. In a nice warm place.

The next day we walked to White Flint mall (which is an upscale mall that was eye opening to me to walk through) and it was almost empty. We walked through the parking lot and my memory is of huge trees that were covered in snow and with what seemed like thousands of crows. The contrast was amazing to me, to watch them fly--they would fill the sky and then come back to the white tree. We would try to excite them just to watch the show over and over again. I loved it, which is kind of silly cause crows are a nuisance, but that memory was remarkable to me. The whole experience there: the two of us, out on our own, very young, in our nation's capital, breaking off from what we have known, establishing our own family, trudging through a difficult storm, but finding moments of enjoyment and new found confidence amidst the storm. And I learned a solid character trait of Daniels: that it's always a good time for ice cream, even in sub-freezing, government halting weather. I'm sure the ice cream shop appreciated us too--we must have been the only customers in weeks.

It's fun to have memories come up to the surface.

(I'm still remembering. . . what does it say about my marriage that Daniel wasn't there for both typhoons in Guam. And come to think of it, both times I was pregnant. Something about my needing storms to recognize my capability and/or give Daniel reason to have confidence in me? I probably shouldn't go any deeper on this one.)